as in extramarital
relating to or being a sexual encounter or relationship between a married person and someone other than their spouse
had an adulterous affair that nearly destroyed his marriage
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Recent Examples of adulterous
But with a twist so big — Sarah being the killer of her adulterous husband Adam’s mistress, Kelly Summers, and the one who set him up for the murder while simultaneously defending him tooth and nail in court — where was Rose to go after that?
—
Jennifer Maas, Variety, 29 Apr. 2025
Nor did anyone blink when Shonda Rhimes set Scandal within the White House of a wishy-washy, adulterous GOP President who’d unwittingly stolen an election.
—Judy Berman, TIME, 20 Feb. 2025
The aforementioned two seasons of Big Little Lies featured Kidman as Celeste Wright, a rich former lawyer and now Monterrey stay-at-home mom with an abusive, adulterous, and freshly dead husband that’s all based on a Liane Moriarty novel.
—Alex Abad-Santos, Vox, 13 Sep. 2024
The new version strips down the book’s narrative, concentrating on the plight of an adulterous airline pilot (Cage) who’s forced to land a plane after all the good Christians are called up to heaven.
—Emily Heller, Vulture, 12 July 2024
See All Example Sentences for adulterous
Jennifer Maas, Variety, 29 Apr. 2025
Nor did anyone blink when Shonda Rhimes set Scandal within the White House of a wishy-washy, adulterous GOP President who’d unwittingly stolen an election.
—Judy Berman, TIME, 20 Feb. 2025
The aforementioned two seasons of Big Little Lies featured Kidman as Celeste Wright, a rich former lawyer and now Monterrey stay-at-home mom with an abusive, adulterous, and freshly dead husband that’s all based on a Liane Moriarty novel.
—Alex Abad-Santos, Vox, 13 Sep. 2024
The new version strips down the book’s narrative, concentrating on the plight of an adulterous airline pilot (Cage) who’s forced to land a plane after all the good Christians are called up to heaven.
—Emily Heller, Vulture, 12 July 2024
See All Example Sentences for adulterous
Recent Examples of Synonyms for adulterous
Adjective
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Moore was fired three weeks ago for having an extramarital affair with a staffer, and he was arrested and charged with three crimes later in the day for breaking into the woman's home.—
CBS News,
CBS News,
1 Jan. 2026
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The Apartment This movie follows an insurance clerk who tries to climb the corporate ladder by letting executives use his apartment for their extramarital affairs.—
Madeline Buiano,
Martha Stewart,
30 Dec. 2025
Adjective
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Four Democratic-Farm-Labor Party lawmakers who chair state Senate education committees cited Minneapolis Public Schools canceling classes and extracurricular activities last week after federal agents reportedly clashed with students and staff during Roosevelt High School’s dismissal on Wednesday.—
Michael Loria,
USA Today,
11 Jan. 2026
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Parents also used relief funds for educational and extracurricular supports and emergency savings.—
Chicago Tribune,
Chicago Tribune,
11 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Adulterous.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/adulterous. Accessed 13 Jan. 2026.
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